Haikyū!!(ハイキュー!!?) is a Japanese shōnenmanga series written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate. Individual chapters have been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since February 2012, with bound volumes published by Shueisha. The series was initially published as a one-shot in Shueisha's seasonal Jump NEXT! magazine prior to serialization. As of May 2016, twenty-one volumes have been released in Japan.[1] The manga has been licensed in North America by Viz Media.[2] An anime adaptation began airing in April 2014, which has been licensed for digital and home release in North America by Sentai Filmworks.[3] The second season of the anime aired in October 2015.[4] A third season is to broadcast in October 2016.[5]

Contents

Plot

Junior high school student Shōyō Hinata gains a sudden love of volleyball after seeing a national championship match on TV. Although short in height, he becomes determined to follow in the footsteps of the championship's star player, nicknamed the "Little Giant", after seeing his plays. He creates a volleyball club and begins practising by himself. Eventually 3 other members join the team by his last year of middle school, pushing Hinata to persuade his two friends who are in different clubs to join just for the tournament. However, they are defeated in their first tournament game after being challenged by the championship favorite team, which includes the so-called "King of the Court" Tobio Kageyama, in the first round. Though Hinata's team suffers a miserable defeat, he vows to eventually surpass Kageyama and defeat him. Fast-forward to highschool, Hinata enters Karasuno Highschool with the hopes of joining their volleyball club. Unfortunately for him, the very person he swore to surpass appears before him as one of his new teammates.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate, the series has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since February 2012. As of December 2014, the series has sold over twelve million volumes.[6] At their panel at New York Comic Con, North American publisher Viz Media announced their license of the manga and will release the series in 2016.[2]

Anime

A television anime series produced by Production I.G premiered on April 6, 2014 on MBS, other JNN stations, and with English subtitles on Crunchyroll.[10] From episodes 1-13, the opening theme song is "Imagination", performed by SPYAIR; while the ending theme song is "Tenchi Gaeshi", performed by Nico Touches the Walls.[11] From episode 15 on, the opening is "Ah Yeah", performed by Sukima Switch; and the ending is "LEO" by Tacica.[12] "Ah Yeah" is also used as the ending for Episode 14, which has no opening. The anime has been licensed for digital and home video release by Sentai Filmworks.[13] A second season has aired, with the first episode being released on October 3.[4] the first theme song is "I'm a Believer", performed by SPYAIR; while the second theme song is "Climber", performed by Galileo Galilei. The second theme song for season 2 is "FLY HIGH" by Burnout Syndrome and the ending is "Hatsunetsu (Fever)" (発熱 - はつねつ) by Tacica. A third season was announced in Weekly Shōnen Jump's 16th issue of 2016 and it is scheduled to broadcast in October 2016,[5] titled Haikyū!! Karasuno High School vs Shiratorizawa Academy.[14]

Video games

Reception

The series has been met with generally positive reception. As of May 2013, over two million volumes have been sold.[6] The first volume was ranked 22nd on the Tohan charts between June 4 and 10, 2012.[15] The second volume was ranked 18th on the charts between August 6 and 12, 2012,[16] and the third volume was also ranked 18th between October 8 and 14, 2012.[17] Additionally, the series was ranked 4th out of a total of fifteen comics recommended in Honya Club's Zenkoku Shoten'in ga Eranda Osusume Comic 2013 ranking.[18][19]